Russell Brand to open 'social enterprise' cafe in East London

The comedian-turned-social activist is reportedly funding cafe in Hackney with
profits from his latest book

Russell Brand has worn many hats in the course of his career - comedian, radio host, author and, most recently, a would-be revolutionary.

Now, the 39 year-old is dipping his toes in the hospitality industry by opening a cafe in East London.

Being Brand, of course, this is no ordinary eatery. The Trew Era Cafe will apparently be a social enterprise, funded by the profits of Brand's latest book, Revolution, and dedicated to supporting the community.

In an interview last year, Brand suggested that the cafe would be "run entirely by recovering addicts".

His book Revolution, which was published last year, calls for a "global revolution involving radical wealth redistribution and spiritualism". It received mixed reviews from critics: some praised its engaging style, but others decribed it as "confused and smug" and "sub-undergraduate dross".

“I’ve studied a lot of what the Russell Brand stuff really means. But I suspect if you implemented that, or tried to implement that, I literally don’t know what it means,” Mr Blair told the BBC’s Nick Robinson.

Russell Brand at a protest against the New Era housing estate redevelopment. Credit: Dan Kitwood/Getty Images